GNITN - Special Edition

Israel At War Day 625

Exceedingly Great Army

Bombs Away

It looks like those bunker buster bombs from the US are heading west as we see in a report from The Jerusalem Post

American B-2 stealth bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri toward a strategic base in Guam in the western Pacific, two US officials confirmed to Reuters on Saturday. The bombers were reportedly accompanied by four Boeing KC-46 Pegasus refueling aircraft. Two of them have already performed refueling for the B-2 aircraft over the Pacific Ocean, according to reports. The other two are about 75 kilometers behind them.

No one is saying why they are heading out:

The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, declined to disclose any further details. One official said no forward orders had been given yet to move the bombers beyond Guam. They did not say how many B-2 bombers were being moved. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It really isn’t too hard to know why, but no one wants to confirm that the bombers are heading for the Middle East. Two more refueling aircrafts took off without double signaling a long trip.

And then the article said the quiet part out loud:

The US Air Force’s B-2 Spirit stealth bomber represents one of America’s most advanced strategic weapons platforms, capable of entering sophisticated air defenses and delivering precision strikes against hardened targets such as Iran’s buried network of nuclear research facilities.

The bombers are an option for US President Trump, an option that looks more likely to be used:

The US military is ready to carry out any decision that President Donald Trump may make on Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, adding that Tehran should have heeded the president’s calls for it to make a deal on its nuclear program prior to the start of Israel’s strikes on Friday.

They carry the bomb Israel needs:

The report then gives us specifics on the stealth jets and the bombs only they can carry:

The bomber’s range of over 6,000 nautical miles without refueling enables global strike capabilities from continental US bases. With aerial refueling, the B-2 can reach virtually any target worldwide, as demonstrated in missions from Missouri to Afghanistan and Libya.

Its payload capacity of more than 40,000 pounds (20 short tons) allows the aircraft to carry a diverse array of conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber’s internal weapons bays are specifically designed to maintain stealth characteristics while accommodating large ordnance loads, which could include two GBU-57A/B MOPs (Massive Ordnance Penetrators), a 30,000-pound precision-guided “bunker buster” bomb.

It can do the job on underground bunkers like Iran is using for its nuclear program:

The bomb’s penetration capability of more than 60 meters through hardened concrete makes it effective against the world’s most protected underground installations.

But do they need those bombs?

Israel Moving Forward

We learn from a report in The Times Of Israel that Israel really wants to take out the Fordo nuclear site and my just do it on their own:

Israeli officials have told the Trump administration they do not want to wait two weeks for Iran to reach a deal to dismantle key parts of its nuclear program and Israel could act alone before the deadline is up, two sources say, amid a continuing debate on Trump’s team about whether the US should get involved.

Trump is well aware of the need to act and that Israel isn’t going to wait two full weeks:

The two sources familiar with the matter say Israel has communicated its concerns to Trump administration officials on Thursday in what they described as a tense phone call.

The Israeli officials say they do not want to wait the two weeks that US President Donald Trump presented on Thursday as a deadline for deciding whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran war, say the sources, who speak on condition of anonymity. The Israeli participants on the call included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and military chief Eyal Zamir, according to a security source.

Israel sees a small window to act and using the US bunker buster bombs can get the job done:

The Israelis believe they have a limited window of opportunity to move against the deeply buried site at Fordo, the crown jewel of Iran’s nuclear program, say the sources. The United States is the only country with the bunker-busting bombs powerful enough to reach the facility, which is dug into the side of a mountain.

And now we know who is pushing Trump to wait:

During the call, Vice President JD Vance pushed back, saying the United States shouldn’t be directly involved and suggesting that the Israelis were going to drag the country into war, say the sources. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also participated in the call, says a security source. Reuters couldn’t determine who else took part in the call, which came a day before Trump publicly suggested Israel lacks the means to destroy Fordo alone.

Netanyahu still thinks they can take out the site on their own, but isn’t saying how publicly:

Publicly, Netanyahu has not ruled out Israel attacking Fordo alone, though officials have not provided any details on how that would be achieved.

Sources say the risk is higher, but not impossible:

Four sources say it is now increasingly likely that Israel will launch a solo military operation. Israeli air superiority over much of Iran makes an operation more feasible, though still risky, say two of the sources.

Overall, Israel has the momentum and doesn’t want to wait:

The Israelis feel they have the momentum and have limited time given the costs of the war, one source adds. “I don’t see them waiting much longer,” says the source.

Speculation is over how the IDF can do it without the bunker buster bombs:

It isn’t clear whether such an operation would involve bombing, ground forces, or both. Two of the sources say that rather than attempting to destroy the entire site, Israel could instead do significant damage to it. That could mean focusing on destroying what is inside the site rather than the site itself, says one of the sources, declining to elaborate.

I can add that we shouldn’t ever underestimate Israel. If they end this all on their own they would be the exceedingly great army prophesied in Ezekiel 37:10.